Skip to main content
Oklahoma
Join Now

OU trying to 'crack the code' of Mississippi State pitching in Norman Super Regional

Bob Przybyloby: Bob Przybylo2 hours agoBPrzybylo

There are other facets of Mississippi State for OU softball to worry about this weekend. But all eyes go to the battle of the OU offense vs. the MSU pitching. And it’s perfectly OK to admit that fact.

The Mississippi State duo of Peja Goold and Alyssa Faircloth vs. the Sooners offense is worth the price of admission this weekend at the Norman Super Regional.

Talking to head coach Patty Gasso, yep, she knows what a challenge this will be. And she knows the work OU has put into it all through this week.

“Their staff is outstanding,” Gasso said. “Their pitching coach is an elite, elite pitcher we had to face back in the day, Taryne Mowatt. The pitchers pitch a lot like her. It’s very easy to see who their coach is. She has done a great job with them. Our offense is – we’re really working hard to kinda crack the code of this group. That’s going to be a big part of this.”

Peja Goold is 15-10 with a 2.12 ERA. She has thrown just over 148 innings with 178 strikeouts and 12 complete games and three saves.

Then there’s Alyssa Faircloth, star of the Eugene Regional. She is 16-7 with a 2.28 ERA. In 169 innings, she has a ridiculous 261 strikeouts with 13 complete games and four saves. Faircloth threw a no-hitter in the victory against Oregon on Saturday.

The fact the duo has combined for seven saves is interesting. And maybe necessary. Do not be surprised if head coach Samantha Ricketts just bounces Goold and Faircloth off each other all weekend. It is the best path to success. Trust them and see how far you can go.

“Faircloth looks like her ball is on a string,” Gasso said. “It just spins, it moves, extreme break. And she can mix speeds very well. It’s tough coming from the left side. She is long and lanky, had a lot of success. She is going to be tough to square up, tough on lefties. We’re working hard on that.

“Their righty (Goold) is like Taryne. It’s like when you throw a screwball, you really step out of the pitching lane and throw it, really get around the ball when she is throwing it. She has a unique kind of delivery. But they’re both really good. Their balls move very well.”

Game 1 is set for Friday at noon on ESPN2. Game 2 is at noon on Saturday on ESPN. If there is a Game 3, it will be Sunday at a time to be determined.

But Gasso knows it cannot and will not be just that battle. The Sooners are going to have to bring their best to get back to Oklahoma City and the Women’s College World Series.

“They are, also, very good on defense,” Gasso said. “That used to be, maybe, the chink in the armor was the defense, at times, for Mississippi State. They’re almost leading the country, I think, in fielding percentage.

“Their offense is a little step down, but they swing hard. We’ve watched them quite a bit. This is going to be a big challenge. Looking at all of their games they lost, it was by one run or extra innings or something like that. We’re going to be up to the challenge.”

You may also like